Anatomy 101: Human Body Quiz

You remember a little ditty about the thigh bone being connected to the
hip bone, which was in turn connected to the backbone. But what else do
you remember about human anatomy? The answers to this quiz are all
inside of you -- literally.

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Question 1 of 20

How many sweat glands does the average person have?

2.6 millon

Those 2.6 million sweat glands are distributed all over the body, excepting the lips, nipples and genitals.

No blood gets into the heart without passing through the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava first.

mitral valve

Question 5 of 20

Which of the following is not an axial bone?

cranium

ribs

shoulder

The shoulder is an appendicular bone, which means it was made to move. Those bones are connected to axial bones like the cranium, spine and ribs, which form the axis of the body and protect delicate organs.

Question 6 of 20

If you were to stretch out your entire digestive system, how long would it be?

10 feet (3 meters)

30 feet (9 meters)

Thirty feet. The intestines count for most of it.

50 feet (15 meters)

Question 7 of 20

What is brown fat?

fat tissue that protects the spine from injury

fat tissue found mostly in newborn babies that helps them make heat

Adult humans have little to no brown fat, the presence of which helps keep babies warm.

fat tissue that settles mostly on the abdominal muscles of adults

Question 8 of 20

The human brain is a lot larger than most other mammalian brains due to the growth of what brain section?

medulla

cerebellum

cerebral cortex

Human brain growth is attributed to a larger cerebral cortex, which is charged with tasks including memory, thought processes and motor functions.

Question 9 of 20

What are the three basic parts of a neuron?

cell body, axon, dendrite

The brain consists of more than 100 billion nerve cells called neurons, each of which comes equipped with a cell body, axon and dendrite.

membrane, ion, nociceptor

receptor, synapse, reflex pathway

Question 10 of 20

What is the most common blood type?

AB+

B-

O+

More than a third of the U.S. population has type O+ blood.

Question 11 of 20

At birth, how many bones do you have?

350

We start off life with 350 bones. However, bones fuse together as we grow, leaving an adult with only 206 bones.

206

411

Question 12 of 20

How much saliva does an average person produce in a lifetime?

250,000 quarts

200,000 quarts

25,000 quarts

In a lifetime, the average person produces enough saliva to fill a couple of swimming pools -- 25,000 quarts!

Question 13 of 20

Which of the following is NOT a type of stem cell?

umbilical stem cells

fetal stem cells

fat stem cells

There are typically four types of stem cells: embryonic, fetal, umbilical and adult stem cells.

Question 14 of 20

Why does your nose run when you are crying?

The pressure that releases tears also releases mucus in the nasal cavity.

Tear ducts drain into the back of the nose.

Get your tissues! Your nose begins to run because tear ducts drain into the back of the nose.

The nasal cavity receives the same signal from the brain as the tear duct to begin crying.

Question 15 of 20

How many hair follicles are on the average human head?

100,000

The lighter the hair, the more hair follicles are present on the human head. However, on average, the human head has about 100,000 hair follicles.

220,000

75,000

Question 16 of 20

How many muscles control your eyeballs?

seven

four

six

Your eyeballs are controlled by six muscles. This enables you to look up, down, left and right.

Question 17 of 20

What is the Adam’s apple?

a biblical reference to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

protruding thyroid cartilage on the larynx

The Adam’s apple is cartilage found on the larynx. This protruding cartilage is often more noticeable in men. Researchers say that the larger the Adam’s apple, the deeper the voice.

a noticeable mass of tissue that is used for digesting food

Question 18 of 20

If we were to stretch out the blood vessels from end to end, how many miles will blood travel?

6,000 miles (9,656 kilometers)

60,000 miles (96,561 kilometers)

Blood has a long road to travel! There are about 60,000 miles (96,561 kilometers) of blood vessels in the human body.

600,000 miles (965,606 kilometers)

Question 19 of 20

Where is your heart really located?

left side of the chest

middle of the chest, slightly to the left

Although we often hold the left side of our chest when saluting the flag, our heart is actually slightly to the left in the middle of the chest.